Little Leon
by yogini
Summary: A desperate king travels to seek help to have an heir, accompanied by his loyal knight. A scheming sorceress assures that the visit gets a different outcome than anyone involved would have anticipated… (Or a story of the challenges of parenting and dealing with meddling old women...)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.

* * *

**Little Leon**

A desperate king travels to seek help to have an heir, accompanied by his loyal knight. A scheming sorceress assures that the visit gets a different outcome than anyone involved would have anticipated…

* * *

"Arthur, I don't think this is safe" Leon insisted as they dismounted. It was the fifth or sixth time that he said so and although Arthur felt his patience disappear, he tried not to let it show as he led his horse over to a small clearing and tethered it there.

"Nonsense!" he said and tried to sweep away the worries of his second-in-command with an airy wave. "What on earth could possibly happen?" A lot of scenarios went through Leon's head but he decided not to say anything. Arthur had already made up his mind and he wasn't going to budge no matter what Leon said or did.

Ever since Arthur and Gwen had decided that it was high time that they had children, the king had become slightly obsessed with the lack of result, and after he'd consulted all the best of Camelot's physicians without any luck, he'd resorted to seeking advice from everyone from druid healers to wise women. The woman that they were on their way to see right now was yet another old crone claiming to be able to help the royal couple conceive and Leon had to reign in his temper as they approached her hut, situated on the outskirts of the small village. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd charge Arthur an arm and a leg and send him back with some useless herbal remedy and a few soothing words. The king's desperateness to have an heir had become known through the kingdom and some had tried to take advantage of it. But whether he liked it or not, Arthur was determined to see the old woman, and so Leon straightened his shoulders and knocked on the door.

"Enter." A fragile voice was heard from inside the small house and Leon pushed the door open, allowing his king to enter before him.

"Welcome, Your Highness" the voice greeted Arthur as he stepped over the threshold. "And you too, Sir Knight." Both men turned to look at the person speaking and their eye fell on a small woman sitting beside the fire. She looked ancient, but even though her back was bent, her hands were gnarled and her face wrinkled, the grey eyes peering at them were clear and sharp.

"Please." She motioned to the chair opposite to hers and Arthur hesitantly sat down and Leon remained standing beside him, ever ready for whatever peril that might threaten his king.

"Now then" the woman began as she gathered her shawl more closely around her. "You seek help in conceiving an heir, Sire?"

"Yes" Arthur simply answered, but after a brief pause he continued. "And it has been suggested that the problem might lie with me, not my wife. She has been examined by some of the best physicians that Camelot can offer and none of them have found her health less than perfect." Arthur's shoulders slumped and Leon knew how hard it was on the young king to admit this. He felt like a failure and a disappointment, both to his wife and to his kingdom.

"It happens, it happens" the old woman mumbled soothingly, nodding. "Sometimes nature just need a little bit of help, Sire." Before she had the time to say anything else the door burst open and a small child, just a couple of years of age, tumbled in.

"Gran!" the young boy shouted excitedly. "Come see this, Gran!" Then the child stopped abruptly as he realized his grandmother had visitors and he bowed awkwardly to the king and his knight who, equally awkwardly, returned his greeting. After that, the woman coaxed the suddenly very shy and quiet child onto her lap and stroked his hair.

"What is it that I have to see, my dear?" she asked and the boy seemed to forget about the visitors again as he bounced excitedly and started telling her all about how he and his friend had gone to the small pond and waded in the shallow water and how his friend had gotten a leech attached to his foot.

"… and it's bigger than any leech I've ever seen before, Gran, it's like a monster."

"Oh dear" the woman sighed, ushered the child off her lap and slowly pushed herself to her feet. "I fear that I'll have to leave you to take care of the poor boy, Sire, but I'll return shortly. Would you mind keeping an eye on this little rascal until I return?" Without really waiting for an answer she began to leave and Arthur was too surprised to do anything else than nod. When the door closed behind her and left them alone with the boy Arthur instantly looked to Leon for help. He hadn't got the slightest idea what to do with the child.

A little while later the old woman returned and excused herself, and while Arthur graciously said that it was no trouble, and after all, emergencies like giant leeches had to take priority, there was no mistaking the huge look of relief on his face when she told her grandchild to run along and console his friend, and to be back again in time for supper. The woman contemplated this for a while, her gaze shifting between Arthur and Leon for some reason, before she started to measure different kinds of herbs and mix them together to a paste, all the time mumbling in the old language until the mixture was ready.

"There, Sire" she said, handing him a small jar with the fragrant paste. "Take two tablespoons of this and dissolve in a cup of water. Drink it before breakfast each morning for the next fortnight and I believe that soon you'll have the child that you long for."

"Thank you." Arthur accepted the jar and pocketed it. "As for the question of payment, I was told that…" The woman interrupted him, shaking her head.

"No, Sire, no payment is needed."

"Pardon?" Arthur was taken slightly aback. "Surely there is something that…?"

"Lifting the ban on magic was I that I could ever have hoped for in this life" the old woman answered with a sincere smile and both Arthur and Leon found themselves smiling in return. Arthur stood up to leave but the woman laid a hand on his forearm, stopping him.

"A blessing for the journey, if you'll allow it, Sire?" she asked and Arthur hesitated briefly but then nodded. "And you, Sir Knight?" she continued and Leon nodded as well, against his better judgement. He didn't trust her and he'd rather have gone without her ministrations but on the same time he didn't want to appear rude by saying no. Still, if she was up to something fishy then he had no doubt whatsoever that Camelot's Court Warlock, (and wasn't it strange to think of Merlin like that), would have something to say about it. The woman opened a small flask smiled.

"Never fret, my dears" she said, as if she'd read his mind. "I wouldn't do anything to invoke the wrath of the mighty Emrys." She cackled out a laugh before she murmured a brief blessing and then anointed Arthur's forehead with the oil from the flask. Then she did the same thing to Leon and both men left the small hut and went back to the clearing to fetch their horses.

They had only made it halfway back to Camelot when Leon began to feel dizzy. He tried to figure out why he suddenly felt bad but couldn't think of any reason. He hadn't skipped any meals, he'd drunk plenty of water and the morning's training session had been held in the shade of some large trees. He wasn't ill and no battle injures bothered him, in fact his health had probably never been better. So why did he fell as if he'd keel over and fall off his horse?

"Leon?" Arthur's anxious voice cut through his thoughts and Leon struggled to focus.

"Yes, Sire?"

"What's the matter?" Leon shrugged and tried to straighten up to show Arthur that he was fine but the effort made the world spin and he clutched the pommel of his saddle. Arthur wasn't fooled and quickly steered his horse closer.

"You're pale as a sheet" he remarked, holding out a hand to steady the knight.

"I feel dizzy" Leon was forced to admit and Arthur looked worried. If there was someone that he could always count on then it was Leon and he wasn't used to his second-in-command being unwell.

"We need to get back as quick as possible" he decided when he saw Leon swaying precariously. "Give me your reins." Leon tried to protest but quickly realized that he didn't have the strength to sit up and let the king lead his horse as he slumped over its neck.

As soon as they entered the courtyard Arthur threw the reins of both horses to the waiting stable hand, ordered one of the guards to alert Gaius and another one to help him support Leon. Between them they half-supported, half-carried the blonde knight to his chambers were Gaius waited with his bag of medical equipment. After a thorough examination Gaius couldn't seem to find a reason for the sudden illness that had befallen the knight and gave him a draught to sleep on, hoping that whatever it was would go away after a good night's sleep. Arthur reluctantly left after Gaius' assurances that the knight should be fine and the old man promised that he'd check on Leon the first thing he did the next morning. After giving the knight a comforting pat on the shoulder Gaius left as well and Leon sank into a deep and dreamless sleep.

"Gaius? How is Leon?" Arthur asked, looking around the physician's chambers as he expected the knight to be there.

"I thought he was with you, Sire?" Gaius looked questioningly at him. "He wasn't in his chambers this morning when I came to see him and I assumed that he felt better and had joined the training session."

"No" Arthur said, suddenly feeling ill at ease. "No, he wasn't there. I thought that you'd told him to rest." The king turned abruptly and swiftly made his way towards Leon's rooms. On the way he met Percival and the large knight was immediately worried when he heard what had happened.

"Leon?" Arthur knocked on the door sharply. There was no answer and he tried the handle. The door was unlocked and swung open to reveal the very tidy, very sparsely furnished and very empty room. Both he and Percival entered and looked around. With an uncomfortable weight in his stomach Arthur realized that there was no way Leon was in the room, there was no place to hide even a small child in there. Both men turned on their heels and set out, Percival to alert the rest of the knights and Arthur to try and locate his missing Court Warlock. Ever since magic had been legalized and Merlin had been given his new title he'd worked endless hours to protect Camelot against any sort of magical danger that might threaten the kingdom and half of the time he didn't remember to eat and sleep. Or bathe for that matter, Arthur remembered, with a scrunch of his nose. When he reached Merlin's new chambers he didn't bother knocking, in revenge for all the times that Merlin had barged into his chambers with nothing but the slam of the door against the wall to announce his presence, but he immediately regretted it. Because Merlin had company. And they were busy.

Swearing Arthur jumped back and tried to shield his eyes but it was too late and what he saw would probably hunt him until the end of his days. He'd seen most of his knights undressed, when they shared tents and bathed together out on campaigns, but never quite like this. Not together in a bed, completely naked and panting, moaning and sweating, limbs all tangled together. But at least now he knew why Gwaine had been absent from practice this morning and he was relieved that he didn't have to send out a second search party as well. One missing knight was enough.

"Get dressed!" he barked at the couple and he wasn't surprised when Gwaine talked back like the cheeky bastard he was.

"Why, Princess, we were just getting started. How about joining us?" Arthur blushed furiously at the thought and Gwaine yelped as Merlin gave him what sounded like a solid smack on the ass.

"Just a minute, Arthur" Merlin called and the king rolled his eyes.

"Please, take your time, don't hurry on my account" he answered sarcastically. "I'll just go look for Leon on my own."

"Leon's missing?" came Gwaine's voice, all playfulness gone and replaced with worry. Within seconds both Merlin and Gwaine were dressed, somewhat presentable and out the door and Arthur filled them in as they went to organize the search.

It was late in the afternoon when they reluctantly took a break so that everyone could get something to east and get some rest. They had gone through the whole castle and the lower town, they'd asked everyone and anyone and still there was no sign of Leon. No stone had been left unturned and still the knight was missing. Merlin had started to suspect sorcery and had locked himself into his rooms experimenting with something while the others headed out to neighbouring villages and searched the forest. As night fell they were forced to break off the search altogether and the knights and Merlin gathered in Arthur's chambers for and impromptu emergency council.

"We have to keep looking" Percival insisted. "That's what Leon would do for any of us." Arthur shook his head.

"It's too dark and we would just wander around aimlessly. It's better to continue in the morning, when we're rested and have a proper plan." Percival's face hardened but he didn't speak against the king openly. He didn't have to either, his thunderous expression said it all and Elyan placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"I still think we're missing something" Merlin said thoughtfully. "Was there really nothing in his rooms?"

"No" Arthur cut off curtly. "There was nothing in there."

"Can't hurt to have a second look, though, can it?" Merlin suggested and realizing that Percival would spend the evening chewing on furniture if he didn't have something to do, Arthur nodded.

"Very well" he acquiesced. "But no one is leaving the citadel tonight." He looked around and was met with nods of assent. Then Merlin and Percival left to look through Leon's chambers once more.

There was not much really. Leon didn't have much furniture and things, and everything was kept neat and tidy, every item at its designated space. Nothing seemed out of place or unusual. The two men poked through all the cabinets, looked at the shelves once more but they couldn't find anything out of the ordinary and when Merlin cautiously suggested that they should go get some sleep and continue tomorrow, Percival kicked a chair in sheer frustration.

"What was that?" Merlin stilled and listened attentively as Percival grimaced when he flexed his stubbed toe. "I think I heard something."

"I can't hear anything" the large knight said testily, still standing on one leg.

"Make sure that you wear boots next time that you feel the urge to kick something" Merlin suggested and Percival glared at him. "Wait, there it is again!" And this time even Percival heard it, a quiet whimpering coming from the antechamber.

Quickly they moved across the room and peered into the dusty antechamber. The space was unused and there was nothing in there except a small, broken bed. There was no way anyone could hide in there, unless they curled up under it. Merlin promptly fell to his knees and looked under the bed. What he saw made him let out a sound that was a mix between laughter and a sigh of relief. He got down on his stomach, stretched out his arms under the bed and fumbled around a bit. When he emerged from under there again it was with a small blond boy, curled into a tight ball and quietly crying.

"Well, I think we've found Leon" Merlin concluded, looking down on the child in his arms. Percival only nodded, speechless.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.

* * *

**Little Leon**

A desperate king travels to seek help to have an heir, accompanied by his loyal knight. A scheming sorceress assures that the visit gets a different outcome than anyone involved would have anticipated…

* * *

"Sire? I think that we have found Leon" Percival said, indicating the child in Merlin's arms.

"What?" Arthur exclaimed loudly, startling Merlin who jumped and caused the child to wake up. He looked around the room, saw all the knights and then promptly buried his face against Merlin's chest again. Arthur and the other knights just stared. Normally Leon didn't have red-rimmed eyes, a runny nose and he usually didn't snivel softly but there was no mistaking those blue eyes and curly blonde hair. It was him.

Arthur looked from Merlin to Percival and then back again, opening and closing his mouth although no sound made it out.  
"What?" he managed at last, repeating himself from earlier. "Is this some sort of joke?"  
"No, Sire" Percival answered quietly. "He was hiding in Leon's room, and look at him, you can't miss the resemblance."  
"Well, no" Arthur had to admit. "But how could it be? He was fine yesterday until we were heading back home, and then he was feeling dizzy and now he's suddenly a toddler? It doesn't make any sense" he said and gestured helplessly. Everyone's eyes went to Merlin who looked back, rolling his eyes.

"Don't ask me" he said. "I've never heard of anything like this before."

"Sometimes I wonder why I ever did make you Court Warlock, _Merlin_, as you're clearly useless at this" Arthur growled at Merlin who gave a snort and glared back, and Elyan realized someone better interfere before a fight broke out.

"What happened when you met the old woman, Sire?" he hastened to ask. "Did she do anything suspicious?"  
"No, not that I can remember" Arthur answered thoughtfully, trying to remember. "Leon, can you...?" he started but then stopped short as he remembered that Leon in his current state probably wouldn't be much of a help. Soft sobs filled the silence and confirmed his suspicion.  
"Hush, hush" Merlin tried to soothe the child and then looked at the king. "Arthur, tell us what happened, from when you came until you left" he said and Arthur began retelling the whole story. When he came to the part where they were asked to take care of the woman's grandson all the knights snorted and Merlin grinned widely.

"What?" Arthur glared at them, displeased with the interruption.  
"Well, Sire" Elyan began answering. "You're perhaps not the most..."  
"You have a certain reputation for, eh, well..." Percival added and then hesitated. Merlin rolled his eyes and spoke up when he realized that none of the knights would have the guts to do it.  
"You're very awkward around children" he said and Arthur snorted.  
"I am not!"  
"Yes, Sire, with all due respect, but you are" Elyan said carefully. "You don't know what to say to them, how to handle them and I am quite sure that it was Leon who ended up taking care of the boy, yes?" Arthur didn't answer but the way his shoulders stiffened told everyone that this was indeed the case.

"Right then, what happened next?" Merlin asked to get the conversation going again and Arthur snapped out of his thoughts on his deplorable parenting skills. He told them about the herbal remedy, which Merlin immediately started to examine, and the blessing that she'd given both of them, and then about the ride back.  
"... and as soon as we came back Gaius looked him over, couldn't find anything and gave him something to sleep on." Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "And then the next morning he was just gone."  
"And the only thing that he said was that he was dizzy?" Merlin asked, eyes still on the small jar that Arthur had given to him, turning it this way and that and opening it to sniff at the contents.  
"Yes" Arthur confirmed. "And he was very pale and could barely sit on his horse."  
"Right, I'll take this to Gaius and see if he knows something about this" Merlin mumbled and then seemed to remember the kid on his lap. "Well then, what do we do about him?" he said, nodding to indicate Leon. "Of course we'll have to figure out something more permanent tomorrow, but now he needs to sleep."  
"Oh" Arthur said, a little surprised. He hadn't thought about that but it was clear that they couldn't just leave little Leon all alone in his chambers."Hm, well, just leave him with Gaius then?"  
"No, Gaius is too old to look after a young child" Merlin said firmly, knowing that his old mentor needed his sleep now that his aching bones bothered him more than ever. Arthur looked over at the knights, who shook their heads.  
"An old smithy is perhaps not the most suitable for a young child, Sire" Elyan murmured just as Percival offered to take care of him.  
"He can stay with me" he said in his deep voice and Merlin looked relieved and started to hand over the child, but as Leon saw Percival he started crying even more and struggled in Merlin's hold. Even if Percival had a heart of gold and probably was the gentlest of the knights, he was built as a giant and surely looked frightening to a small child. Merlin gave up the attempt and the distressed Leon snuggled closer to his chest again.  
"Maybe he should just stay with you then?" a slightly disappointed Percival suggested but Merlin shook his head.  
"He seems to like you" Gwaine chipped in.

"No, he can't be in my chambers, it's not safe" Merlin said. "What would happen if he poked around my herbs or accidentally set something off?"

"Do you have stuff in there that can go off?" Gwaine asked cautiously and Merlin threw him a warning look.

"Let's just say that my chambers are off limits for children."

"Then how come Gwaine's allowed in there?" Percival asked in his deep voice and everyone started laughing.

"This is not helping" Arthur pointed out frustratedly and wished that his wife wasn't away visiting an old friend. He could have used her help now.  
"Why doesn't he stay with you then, Sire?" Elyan suggested.  
"Me?" Arthur asked. "Why on earth would...? I mean, you lot have just told me that I'm probably the worst parent material ever."  
"Then the practice will do you good" Merlin said his smile full of mischief. "And he's not afraid of you." It was true. While Leon seemed to be intimidated by Percival he didn't seem afraid of the other knights and he'd even smiled a little when Gwaine threw his boot at Percival in revenge for the joke.  
"Well, I suppose..." Arthur mumbled. "Give him to me then" he said as he rose and motioned for Merlin to hand over the boy. Once Leon was safely in Arthur's arms and looking at the king with curious, albeit very tired, blue eyes Arthur cleared his throat.

"And now what?" he asked, nodding towards the child. "What do I do?"

Somehow the pair of them managed to get undressed, into their nightclothes (which in Leon's case consisted of one of Arthur's smallest, oldest and softest tunics that nonetheless hung of his small frame like a dress) and under the warm covers of the bed before the troubles began. First the young child was thirsty, and then he needed to go to the privy and after that he was hungry. By the time that Arthur had managed to complete all these tasks he was truly exhausted and wanted nothing more than sleep, long, long hours of undisturbed, glorious deep sleep. But he was soon about to find out that undisturbed sleep would prove to be elusive to anyone with a small child to care for.

By next morning Leon looked better and even managed a shy smile or two as he made his way around the room and explored everything, holding up the too long night shirt with one hand so that he didn't stumble on it. He even said a shy good morning to Percival when the large knight entered and by the time Percival had carved him a small wooden horse to play with the two of them were inseparable.

Arthur, on the other hand, looked worse for wear and the knights didn't hesitate to point that out as the gathered in his chambers.  
"Couldn't anyone have told me not to give him honey cakes just before bed?" Arthur asked grumpily. Leon had eaten too many, delighted by the sweet treat and then he had kept Arthur awake because his tummy ached and because he way to hyped on all the sugar to settle down and rest.  
"We thought that you already knew that" Merlin answered, slightly surprised. "How many did he eat?"  
"Five" Arthur admitted huffily and everyone in the room cringed.  
"Five?" Gwaine exclaimed. "You're lucky that he didn't get sick!" As Arthur looked slightly nauseous at the mere thought, Merlin decided it best to change the subject.

"I have looked the herbal remedy that she gave you and it doesn't help your fertility" he said and held up a hand to stop Arthur from interrupting as it looked like the king would start shouting curses. "It's nothing bad, Gaius thinks it's some kind of concoction to bring peace of mind and give more patience or something like that."  
"Why on earth would she give me something like that?" Arthur said unbelievingly and was met with looks of equal puzzlement. Merlin shrugged.

"Who knows?"

They continued discussing the matter, what the sorceress could possibly have done and whether this was her doing at all and not a very strange coincidence, that Leon seemed to have forgotten all his memories of them and his life as a knight and if it would be possible to bring him to his family. In the end they decided against it as Leon kept asking for his mother and his baby sister, and they didn't know how it would affect the child to meet a sister that was now on the brink of adulthood. None of them were too keen on informing Leon about the fact that his father had died either and so they settled for telling the child that his family had gone away on a trip but that they'd come back for him soon and Leon seemed to accept this.

They talked for most of the morning and Leon patiently played for himself but at last he padded up beside Merlin and looked at him imploringly.  
"I'm hungry" he complained, pulling on Merlin's shirt sleeve. Merlin looked surprised.  
"Didn't you give him any breakfast, Arthur?"  
"I forgot" Arthur mumbled.  
"What? How could you forget about it? He is a child, he needs to eat!" Merlin exclaimed.  
"I just didn't think about it!" Arthur tried to defend himself. "And he didn't tell me he wanted to eat either."  
"Did too" Leon murmured.  
"Did not!" Arthur said vehemently before he saw the looks that he got from the others. "What?"  
"Arthur, it's a child for crying out loud. Be nice!" Merlin gave him a glare before turning to Leon. "Don't mind Uncle Arthur, he's always grumpy in the morning. How about you and I go get you something to eat?"  
"Honey cakes?" Leon asked, eyes suddenly bright.  
"Maybe not for breakfast." Merlin tried to avoid the question and took the child's hand. "We can say good morning to the dogs on our way to the kitchen, come on."

"I'll come with" Gwaine jumped up from his seat. "It'll be fun" he said smiling at the child. "Uncle Gwaine's going to teach you all about stealing apples."

"Isn't parenting about keeping your children from harmful influence?" Elyan asked mildly and Gwaine huffily ignored him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.

* * *

**Little Leon**

A desperate king travels to seek help to have an heir, accompanied by his loyal knight. A scheming sorceress assures that the visit gets a different outcome than anyone involved would have anticipated…

* * *

Two things very soon became screamingly apparent. One, they had no idea what had happened nor did they know what to do about it, and two, Arthur was one of the worst parents imaginable.

When Leon woke up from a nightmare crying Arthur told him that he needed to toughen up if he ever wanted to become a knight and when Leon was thirsty Arthur told him to go get a drink himself, which resulted in a very lost child and a massive search involving just about everyone in the castle. After that particular episode all the knights took it upon themselves to ensure that they were around to help whenever Arthur was responsible for the young boy.

Elyan made him a small dagger and taught him how to use it. Percival carved more wooden toys and carried him on his shoulders, making Leon grin with delight at how far up he was. Gwaine taught him to pay hide and seek and showed him all the nooks and crannies of the castle and Merlin generally spoiled Leon rotten and used his magic to entertain the child. Thanks to all the knights, bedtime had gone from simply getting undressed and going to bed to a whole ritual. Leon would sit on the soft furs in front of the fire, always with a jug of hot milk spiced with cinnamon, while Gwaine told adventurous stories about dragons and knights and Merlin used the smoke from the fire to conjure accompanying images. After that Percival would assure the young boy that there were no monsters under the bed and they'd all say good night and tuck him in. At first Arthur observed the whole ritual with barely hidden haughtiness but it wasn't many days until he was also curled up on the rug and listening to Gwaine's (thankfully child appropriate) stories.

As the time went on they could all observe the change in Arthur's behaviour. He still complained that the child moved around too much and that it made it impossible for him to sleep but there was no real fire behind the words and often his lips would be pulled into a fond smile when he looked at Leon. He only forgot about the boy's breakfast once, and every evening he made sure that there was a cup of fresh water on the nightstand if he got thirsty during the night. Arthur's old clothes from when he was young had been dug out of storage and even though the king still insisted on Merlin helping him dress, he was the one to pick out what Leon should wear and praised the boy when he with fumbling fingers managed to tie the laces himself.

Of course, the road to becoming a good parent wasn't always straight and narrow and there were a few mishaps as well. Arthur hadn't imagined how easily and how fast a small boy could get lost on a market day and he'd been sick with worry until he saw a mop of curly blond hair at the stall that sold pastries and sweets. His heart beat an alarming pace and ignoring the protests he swept the child into his arms and carried him back to the relative safety of the castle. But not before he'd bought Leon the candied apple that the child had been looking at longingly.

There was also that time when Leon had accompanied the knights to sword practice and as everyone's attention slipped for a moment, he'd managed to get injured when trying to lift a sword that was way too big and heavy for him. The accident prompted the same reaction like when immortal armies threatened Camelot and in no time at all the boy was under Gaius' care and half of Camelot's knights nervously paced the corridors waiting for news. When Gaius assured them that it was only a flesh wound that would heal with time and rest a collective sigh of relief was heard and over the course of the next days Gaius' chambers started to look more than a market stall selling toys instead of a physician's quarters.

One night after Leon had fallen asleep, and Arthur had checked on him to see that he was not too hot or too cold or having a nightmare, he sat down in front of the fire with Merlin. While the warlock was busy collecting the empty jugs, (the bedtime ritual now included everyone having hot milk with cinnamon, not just Leon), Arthur stared into the flame, deeply in thoughts.

"Arthur? What are you thinking about?" Merlin inquired softly.

"Leon. What if we never find a cure? How do we tell his family? I can't stop thinking about that and on the same time I'd really want to…" Arthur didn't finish the sentence and Merlin sensed that something was on his mind.

"You'd really want what?" he asked and at first he didn't think that Arthur would answer at all as the silence dragged out.

"I'd really like to keep him" Arthur admitted at last, so quietly that Merlin was barely able to hear him.

"You'd like to… aha…" Merlin repeated confusedly but then the king's words made sense all of a sudden. No one had missed the fond looks that Arthur gave Leon, the way he spoiled the child and at the same time tried to introduce him to the values of a knight. He'd started talking about getting Leon a tutor later on and had taken it upon himself to interview potential candidates to find someone suitable. Arthur had started to look at Leon as parent sees his child.

"And I know that it's wrong because he has his own family and all that but I can't help the way I feel. I want him to be happy and keep him safe and…" Arthur gestured helplessly. "You know what I mean?" he asked and Merlin nodded.

"I know" he said. "Gwaine and I have been talking about children too. Not now, but still…" Arthur was a bit surprised but tried not to let it show. It seemed that Gwaine had at last settled down. Merlin smiled as if he could read Arthur's thoughts.

"It seems I finally tamed him, doesn't it?" he chuckled and Arthur found himself smiling too.

"Yeah. His hair will look lovely at the wedding too" he said and tried to imagine Gwaine's long dark hair covered by the thin, white veil traditionally worn by the bride on her wedding day. Merlin snorted out a laugh.

"Don't let him hear you say that, he's bound to come up with something worse to call you than Princess."

"I'm not scared, I've got my Court Warlock to protect me" Arthur said full of bravado and Merlin smiled again. After that they settled into a comfortable silence for a while.

"I've been thinking" Merlin suddenly said after a while.

"Don't hurt yourself, Merlin" Arthur murmured sleepily and ducked out of the way from Merlin's sharp elbow. Merlin settled for glaring at him instead and then continued.

"I've been wondering about the part when that old woman said that you'd soon have a child, do you remember exactly what she said?" Arthur frowned, trying to remember.

"She said 'soon you'll have the child that you long for,' and then she gave us the blessing." Merlin looked thoughtful and Arthur impatiently waited for him to finish thinking.

"Well, I'm thinking that maybe…" Merlin started to say when Arthur jumped to a conclusion of his own.

"Wait, do you think that she meant that Leon is that child?" he interrupted, completely shocked. "Because she had no right doing that to him, even if I wanted a child I wouldn't want that to happen to him, I would never…"

"No, Arthur, calm down, otherwise you'll wake him up" Merlin said and laid a calming hand on Arthur's forearm and the king looked guiltily over to the bed where Leon still slept soundly.

"No, it was something Gaius said the other day and I've been thinking about it since. It is a common belief among those of the Old Religion that a child only comes to the right parents at the right time. And since you and Gwen have tried for so long with no result, well maybe it wasn't because of a physical problem but because you weren't ready to care for a child."

"So you're saying that…?" Arthur started angrily but then managed to reign in his temper. "Well, I guess that I was a bit of a disaster in the beginning, wasn't I?"

"To put it mildly, yes" Merlin answered.

"Yes, go right ahead and rub it in, will you" Arthur retorted but there was no malice behind his words. Instead he looked thoughtful. "So you think that this was her way of teaching me how to care for a child to get me ready to have children of my own? By turning Leon into a child?"

"Maybe." Merlin shrugged. "Who knows?"

"We're riding out tomorrow" Arthur decided. They had already sent patrols back to the village but the woman seemed to have disappeared without a trace but this time Arthur wouldn't give up. He would find her and make her turn Leon back into an adult again.

The next morning Arthur woke up because he was uncomfortably squished to the side of the bed. Someone rather tall and muscly was currently occupying the greater part of his bed and it didn't seem to be his wife. Said person also snored rather loudly and had a beard that tickled Arthur's shoulder. It most certainly was _not_ Gwen and Arthur jabbed an elbow at the intruder to get some more space. Some annoyed, sleepy sounds were heard and then came a surprised shout, a slightly pained yelp and the crash when someone fell onto the floor.

"Sire? What am I doing in your bed?"

A couple of months later the king announced to the assembled court that the queen was expecting a child. Amongst the cheers and applauses the faint echo of a cackling laugh could be heard. It seemed that at last it was the right time for the royal couple to be blessed with a child.


End file.
